Structural walls for buildings such as residential, commercial, or industrial buildings, are often constructed in layers. Typically, a wall sits on a foundation, and includes a backup wall having a floor plate and a ceiling plate and a set of vertical studs. Usually, sheathing (which may be plywood, oriented strand board, or the like) is disposed on the outside face (i.e. the face that faces towards the outside of the building) of the backup wall. The sheathing is covered by a moisture barrier membrane. A metal flashing is disposed at the bottom of the wall, above the foundation and between the sheathing and the membrane.
On the outside of the membrane, a layer of thermal insulation is typically installed. In some cases, moisture control panels, such as that described in published Canadian Patent Application 2,249,509 and owned by the applicant herein, are disposed outside of the insulation. Fasteners are installed through the moisture control panel, the insulation, the membrane, the sheathing and into the vertical stud to hold the moisture control panel and insulation in place within the wall. A wire mesh supporting a layer of stucco is disposed on the outside of the moisture control panel, with the mesh also being held in place by the fastener.